Waking Up in Wonderland
by Noizchild Johnson
Summary: First volume up. Second of three stories that follow my poem, "Wasteland 2011." This is the core of it all. The nightmarish truth that one young man has tried to bury inside his head for years is trying to spring forward and bust open in Ikebukuro. What exactly is the "wasteland" that he has been stuck wandering in? Are the others inside of, but can't see it for themselves?
1. Alpha

Author's Notes: Hello again. First Durarara first and second fic to my "Wasteland 2011" project. I don't exactly know how to execute this just yet. Just like with "Tea Leaves and Gold Pins," I will work through this as I go along. For now, consider this as the prologue.

* * *

Halo Zero: Alpha:

She just talks on without listening. He sits quiet and listens to her talk on and on about useless things. That is all he has at this time.

She talks non-stop about her boring job at the office. She talks about her friends in the states and at work. She talks about her vanity and looks. She even talks about things that she saw on TV or heard on the radio. He sits there and listens in silence.

Why does he put up with so much useless drabble? That's all he can do. You see, he couldn't talk back to her. He has been rendered mute years before he met her. He cannot see her either. He has been blind for years now. He also can't feel anything physically or emotionally, never for a long time. He also can't remember anything about himself. The only memories that he has are the ones that he shares with her now.

However, his mind has a new level of hell locked inside of it. For now, it is only in bits and pieces. Even those bits and pieces are trying to reach out to other to rebuild the truth to him. Yet, he doesn't really want that to happen. He has run out of ways to stop the truth from reawaking upon the city that he calls home for the past three years. He does not want that to happen. But, he does not know how to stop it from happening all over again. He already spent up his previous options in the past. To bury the truth again the way that he always has will cost him dearly this time. It has all pushed him to sit and wait for the inevitable to swallow everything up once again.

In the mean time, all that he has is her talking his ears off until she leaves for work or goes to sleep.


	2. Fatal Fare

Author's Notes: This is the real first chapter. I just thought I would do this with just purely dialog. I still don't know what I'm doing plot-wise, but this chapter is fixed up.

* * *

Halo One: Fatal Fare:

"Tell me a story!"

"No!"

"Please?"

"Then will you let me sleep?"

"Yes."

"Then will _you_ go sleep?"

"Yes!"

"Alright. What kind of story would you like to hear?"

"A scary one!"

The sheets shifted as her small frame cuddled up close to his body.

"Okay, there was once a taxi driver in Ikebukoro; a humble man who just got people from destination to destination day-in and day-out. One night while he was making his rounds, he happened upon a young woman standing out on the street. She stood alone in the rain looking for a ride. So the driver pulled up to her.

"'Need a ride?' the driver asked. The girl nodded at him.

"'Hop on in,' he said. The girl climbed into the cab and closed the door. The driver looked in the rear mirror at her.

"'So, where are you headed, little lady?' he asked.

"'My apartment,' she told him.

"'And where is that?'

"'Ume-Kuro.' The driver gave her a puzzled look.

"'Never heard of it. Where is that?' he said.

"'Don't worry,' the girl assured him. 'I'll tell you where to go.' The driver shrugged to himself and drove. This girl led him on for what seemed like a wild goose chase. They drove through many streets and alleys that the poor driver had never heard of, kept making different turns, and passed through two different cities altogether. She ran up a high fare on the cab. The whole time the driver became nervous.

"'Are you sure we're going the right way?' he asked the girl as he looked through his rear-view mirror at her. She smiled and waved him off.

"'Yes, yes, of course,' she insisted. 'Just keep driving. We're just about there.' The driver shrugged and kept going. Because, what else could he do? He had her in the cab with him and she was the one _hopefully_ paying him for this wild ride.

"They ended up in the countryside after many turns and streets for close to three hours of driving. By this time the driver became uneasy and annoyed. He had done his best to keep his composure up until this point. The driver gripped the steering wheel as he gritted his teeth in the black, raining country night.

"'Look!' the driver barked as he turned and looked in the back seat.' Are you sure this Ume-Kuro place _even_ exists?!' But when he turned and looked, the girl had vanished. Not a single trace of her remained.

"'What the…?!' the driver cried aloud. When he turned to look at where he was going, the cab was heading right for the cliff."

She looks deep into his eyes. "Does he drive right off of it?"

"Not my version."

"Huh?"

"The next morning, a farmer was out looking for new land to plant his crops on. He came upon the taxi cab sitting near the cliff, still intact. Curious, the old farmer walked over and looked inside. There was no driver and no girl inside, but in the back seat sat a big box. The farmer opened the back door and surprisingly found it unlocked. He reached in for the box. Once he got his hands on it, he opened the lid and looked inside. One look inside drained all of the color from face. The poor old man ran away screaming as fast as he could.

"Why? What was in the box?"

"I can't tell you that."

"But why not?"

"Because my dear, there are some rabbit holes that humans are not meant to go down in."

"Damn it."

"Now, now. That's not very ladylike of you, now is it?"

"Forgive me."

"That's okay, just go to sleep now. You promised."

"Alright, good night."

"Good night."


	3. Kyohei

Author's Notes: I have decided to write each "halo" like a segment in the original "Ju-On" film series. Still trying to work out the plot to the core of "Wasteland 2011." Yet, the story is doing decently so far, just needs a little more work.

* * *

Halo Two: Kyohei:

For five days, a huge blood stain coated the high concrete wall. Kyohei had cleaned it every time to help renovate this one apartment so that Evie, the realtor, can sell to a few buyers interested. Each time he came in for work in the morning, that blood stain would be on the high wall in the hallway coming to the front door. He just couldn't understand it.

"What the hell?" he wondered. "Didn't I just clean this yesterday?" One day, was okay. But five days? Even Evie began to take notice.

"Kadota-san," she spoke up as she looked at the stain on the wall on day six.

"Yeah," Kyohei replied.

"What is that?" she asked as she pointed to the stain on the wall.

"Blood," Kyohei replied.

"Uh-huh," she said. "Now, why is it there?"

"I have no idea."

"Isn't this your job to clean up things like this?"

"Yes."

"So… why is this still here?"

"I have no idea."

"Didn't they hire you to clean up messes like this?"

"I don't know what to tell you. I keep cleaning it up and it comes back every day."

The blonde American frowned at him. She narrowed her eyes at him. "And you're saying that it just appears here every night?"

He was about to speak when they heard someone say, "Guys." The pair looked up to see a security guard who happened to be getting off shift for the morning who just took one sweep around the building. Evie looked at him oddly.

"What?" she asked without even trying to be polite about it.

"I know about the blood stain," the guard said. Kyohei and Evie looked at him with new interest.

"What about it?" the former asked. The security guard pressed his lips together. He almost wished that he hadn't said anything at this point, but they just had to know the truth.

"Come with me," he said in a low voice. He led the duo to the main office on the ground floor. The three of them crowded around the TV and VCR at the front desk. The guard held an old tape in his hand.

"This is from six years ago," he said. The guard popped in the tape and pressed play.

December 12th, 2005.

The whole footage was grainy, but it gave off a picture clear enough for the trio to see. A woman in a walked down the hall as she held her white coat to her chest. She looked about thirty years old with her eyes to her black boots. Her light pink purse hung loosely by her left arm. She trembled with every step that she took.

Kyohei raised an eyebrow at the screen. "Who is that?" he asked. The guard waved his hand to quiet him down.

"This is where it gets really creepy," he said.

The woman in the video stopped in place and looked nervously behind her. Suddenly, a deep gray haze swallowed and shoved the woman against the hallway wall. The cloud grew in thirty seconds and the woman's blood splattered all over the wall and carpet. When the thick haze slowly drew back, no other trace of the woman remained. She just disappeared.

The footage went black and cut off into dead air.


	4. Circles

Author's Note: Finally, we're getting somewhat closer to the plot. Sort of, I'm still working on it. I'm starting to get a clear picture of what I want to do here. Hang in there for me.

* * *

Halo Three: Circles:

He's trapped in a maze that he can't get out of. It all looks and sounds the same. Despite being blind, he can still see the horror that is trying to reach him once more. He tries to push the door shut to keep it out. That itself is not working anymore. It keeps scratching at the door again and again. He wants to pierce his own eardrums to block out the screaming. The smell of burning flesh makes his stomach turn.

_Go away! I don't want to go through this again! Why can't I just live in peace for a change?_

Then, he heard the front door.

"I'm home!" Evie called as she took off her beige kitten heels at the door. A little relief unfolded in his chest. Finally, there was an opening in the bleak maze in his head. A nice break from the hell he tries to block out on a daily basis. He listened as her footsteps crossed the wooden floor. Evie leans down to his face.

"How have you been today?" she asked. He picks up a small wooden figurine and taps it three times against the floor. Evie nods in response.

"Same as usual, I see," she said. She stood up straight and walked over to close all of the blinds.

"My day was crap," she said. Evie walked into the kitchen. She has to be loud enough for him to hear her.

Thud!

"Oh, it was awful! We have a problem with the apartment I'm trying to sell." She reached into the fridge and pulled out some leftover take out.

"There is an old blood stain on one of the walls in the hallways," she went on. "The guy my company hired says that he cleaned it up, but it keeps reappearing." Evie opened up the box and put it in the microwave.

Thud!

"Oh, I know. I thought it was his incompetence," she went on. "But the apartment might be haunted." After twenty seconds, the microwave beeped finished. Evie put in the second round of leftovers in the microwave.

Thud!

"I would like to believe it's bullshit, but the security guard showed me a video from five years ago. Now I don't know what to believe anymore," she said. The microwave beeped again and she took out the food. Evie got two pairs of chopsticks out of the drawer and walked over to him. She sat down next to him and set up dinner.

"Thanks for the meal," she said from them both. She took a bite of the sweet and sour pork. The woman frowned at the taste.

"Hm," she said. "Needs to go back in for a little bit more. Hang on." Evie took the food back into the kitchen and heated it up.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Evie threw up her hands at the sounds. "Okay, okay. I'll finish the story," she said. "What's with you today? You usually don't care about what I have to say at times."

Thud! Thud!

"Well it feels like it," she said.

Thud!

"Okay," Evie replied. The microwave beeped again and she took out the food. Evie set up dinner at the table with him again.

"Thanks for the meal," she said from them both again. She took the second first bite of the sweet and sour pork. She nodded in slight satisfaction.

"This'll have to do for now," she said. Evie turned back to him.

"Oh yeah," she said. "I almost forgot." She unwrapped his chopsticks and broken them apart. She placed them in his hand and he began to eat. Evie watched him chew the rice and pork.

"Well?" she asked. He nodded as he continued to eat. She took another bite of her pork.

"Anyway," she went on at last. "There was this lady on the tape. She looked nervous about something as she kept walking. Then, she stopped and this black fog thing swallowed her up. Her blood splattered everywhere. When it cleared, she just disappeared. Just like that. Poof." Evie then noticed that he froze and now trembled. She blinked confused.

"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked. "Hey! Hey!" He grabbed onto her left wrist as tightly as he could. Evie tried to free herself from his grasp as she heard him panting hard.

"You're scaring me like that!" she yelled. "Let go!" She struggled against him until he loosened his grip with his breath returning to normal. Evie slipped her wrist out of hand and rubbed away the pain. She watched as he gradually caught his breath.

"What the hell happened?" she asked. He only shook his head. Evie took in a breath.

"Right," she said. "I'm going to go run you a bath. Maybe that will calm you down some, okay?" He only nodded once at her. Evie patted him on the shoulder and walked down the hall to the bathroom.

The unease came crashing down inside his chest as he sat alone in the living room once again. She just made a dent in the shield that he tried to put for many years without even realizing it.

_She's coming for me. She's coming to kill me. I don't want to die. I don't want to want die!_

It always gets worse in the night after Evie's gone to sleep.


	5. Masaomi

Author's Notes: Here is a nice, short horror chapter for everyone. I just had the base of the idea and just built up from it just now. Finally, we are starting to get somewhere with this. So, here we go!

* * *

Halo Four: Masaomi:

He does not go her younger girls. That's just not in his taste. He preferred girls his age or older. His new child "friend" is different.

He met her when he was waiting for Mikado and Anri to show up for the afternoon. They were running late that day. The joker already had a couple cheeky jokes in mind for them. He could already see his best friend's face turning bright pink already. However, his mind shifted when he became aware of someone standing behind him. The boy slowly turned for a look. He glanced downwards to see a little girl about thirteen with a straw hat on her head, smiling at him. Her pale little face looked better suited on one of those old-timed porcelain dolls in a museum. Her long midnight blue hair swept around her in the gentle city breeze. Her water-colored sundress completed her life-sized doll look for the boy. Masaomi blinked at her. He had never eyes so red and empty before in his life. The child almost didn't seem human. He gave her a quick smile.

"Oh, and who's little girl are you?" he asked. The girl smiled at him pretty white teeth.

"Ne!" she cheered. Her voice floated to the city sky above them. The sound almost made him think of angels, if there were such things in the first, laughing in the rain.

"Are you lost?" he asked. The girl still grinned at him.

"Ne!" she said again.

"You waiting for something?" Masaomi asked.

"Ne!" she shouted once more. This was clearly not going anywhere. Maybe she didn't understand Japanese at all. Nah, that can't be it. She looked like a native to the country anyway. He knew that she heard him clearly. Maybe this was a little game to her? Fine then, he'll have to try a different approach to talk this little… whatever she was exactly. (He doubted by this point that she was even human to begin with.)

Masaomi tried to dig for something else that would get this child to give him a straight answer. Best to go simple with her. Not the best option here, but at least it would get him somewhere with her. He knelt down to her some.

"Say, I'm Kida Masaomi" he said, pointing to his chest. "Do you mind telling me your name?" The young girl smiled and touched him on the cheek with one finger. The normal sanity that he had been faking for years broke in one snap. Too much invaded his mind for him to keep up. Red, black, and grey flashed before his eyes like atomic bombs. A noise similar to Kayako's death rattle filled his ears.

_What is this?_, he thought as he battled to keep himself together. The colors and sound blend together in rapid spinning circle before it died there cold in his head. Only one thing remained.

"Akuma ga watashi o shutoku sa sete wa ikenai."

Moments later, Mikado and Anri found Masaomi standing at the curb like he texted that he would. Mikado waved to him.

"Hey Kida-kun!" he called. Masaomi didn't respond. When they made it over to him, he didn't even look up. Mikado's face slowly dropped into worry as he shook his best friend on the shoulder.

"Kida-kun?" he asked. "Hey! Hey!" His friend still didn't answer. He just walked straight forward across the street as if in a trance.

"Kida-kun! Wait up!" Mikado yelled as he and Anri raced after him. They had no idea what just happened to him.


	6. Chiharu

Author's Note: I had this idea for weeks now. We're finally getting somewhere with this story. So, enjoy.

* * *

Halo Five: Chiharu:

Every night, she listens to her radio. After dinner, she tunes it to get a distant signal. Most of the time she gets static and dead air. Only occasionally, something clear would reach out to her.

Tonight, she got a clear signal. She sat close to the radio as she listened to the world news.

"In Russia today," the anchor lady began. "The stock prices have dropped by two points." Suddenly, her door flung wide open.

"Chiharu!" someone yelled at her. She did not respond. Her attention stayed focused on news about South Africa.

"Chiharu!" the voice yells again. She tunes it out and keeps listening. She knows of the storm that is brewing behind her. She buried herself deeper into the stories flooding her ears. She jerked her head around when a head reached forward and cut the radio off. Her brother, Tatsuya, stood behind her, frowning. His frown deepened on his face.

"Why do you keep listening to that old thing night after night?" he asked her. She stared at him with a rather apathetic look on her face.

"I like to," she said. She cut the radio back on.

Her brother frowned at her. "This is not unbecoming of a lady your age." His sister didn't response as she cut her radio back on. He frowned and cut the radio back off.

"Did you hear me calling you?!" he asked.

"Nope," she replied. She reached out to turn the radio back on, but he grasped onto her wrist. She looked up at him, getting agitated.

"What?" she asked.

"I have arranged a dinner with us and your new suitor's family tomorrow evening at six," he told her. She sneered at him.

"I'm not going," she said.

"Yes, you are!" he said, sternly.

"No!" she snapped back. "I'm not going and I'm not getting married!"

"You will get married if I say so!"

"I don't want to!" She reached forward and turned the radio back on. By this time, she had lost the signal to static. He gritted his teeth and took in a heavy breath. He switched the radio back off once again.

"You'll get married and like it!" he snapped. She doesn't say a word. Instead, she gets up and heads out of her room. Her brother's temper burned faster.

"Where do you think you're going?!" he snapped as he followed after her.

"Out!" she yelled back.

"Not at this time of night, you're not!" he barked. "Come back here!" He chased her all the way to the doorway and grabbed onto her arm. She smacked him off with her fist.

"Let go!" she yelled. "I am going out!"

"No, you're not!" he barked. She struggled with him for ten minutes before breaking from his grasp, putting on her shoes and jacket, and walking out of their apartment.

He has always been like that. Ever since their parents died, her brother tried to control every aspect of her life. At first, she took it without any arguments. But as she grew older, it just annoyed her more and more. They both wanted two different things for her future. She had no desire to get married and didn't really have plans for her future yet. Her brother wanted her to get married, have kids, and stay at home. She couldn't even envision that her wildest dreams. Too bad he wouldn't listen.

Nights like this made her want to get away. She knew just the place.

The old apartment building facing the city was being fixed up to be sold. So far, process had been going so slowly due to rumors of it being haunted. Perfect face for her to get away from her brother and clear her head. No one really watched this building. She could just come and go as she pleased her. She just slipped through the back fire exit and climbed up the stairs. Sure, the elevator worked now, but stairs really helped to put her at ease. She counted down each step as her stress that her older brother gave her became lighter and lighter.

Her fingertips touched the exit to the roof. She smiled at the cold sensation that she felt. One push of the door and the freedom of the outside sang to her. She took in a heavy breath. This was it. This was her moment to be free again. From there, she let the feeling take over her mind.

She wondered all the way to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. The dizzying height gave her a strong feeling of being god for just one precious moment. She never could feel that at home. She closed her eyes and took it all in.

However, that moment peace was shattered when she heard one small little phrase echoing in her head. She had never heard such a voice before in her life. But yet, there it was.

"Akuma ga watashi o shutoku sa sete wa ikenai."

She didn't have time to grasp what happened next. Before she knew it, she found herself falling to the ground below. She didn't remember how she got that way. To a normal person, a long drop to the ground felt like the actual time it took to get there. But, not to her. In one blink, she was falling. Then in the next, she lied there on the ground without a single scratch on her with her eyes wide open to the night sky. No one would even find her until morning.


	7. Noriko

Author's Notes: This one turned out to be shorter than I planned, but this is a really important halo to the plot.

* * *

Halo: Six: Noriko:

She has been having nightmares again. Usually they ebbed and flowed. But lately, they had been getting worse. These dreams have been attacking her for six nights now. She could feel everything that happened in her sleep. She always felt like choking as she woke up. She could remember a night when her sheets weren't soaked in her sweat. After, she tried to keep her nightmares a secret under a fake smiling mask. It didn't take much for it all to crumble for her. This time, her wave of nightmares came back worse than six years ago. They have become so intense that she can barely focus in her life. Her guardian suspects the worst.

"Noriko-chan," she said while the girl made herself lunch for school. The ward ignored her as put rice in the box.

"Noriko-chan," the woman tried again. The girl still didn't answer. Her guardian finally grabbed her by the shoulder. She looked up at the middle-aged woman. She didn't speak at first. Her guardian looked deep into the girl's sweet brown eyes.

"Noriko-chan," the woman said. "Are you feeling okay?" The girl shifted her eyes away from her. Her mind tried to avoid this trap again.

"It's dreams again, isn't it?" she asked. "Isn't it?" The girl pushed her away.

"Get off me," she mumbled. "I'm fine." She returned to pack her lunch.

"Your hand is shaking," the guardian said. The girl tried to keep her right hand still.

"No, it's not," she lied.

"Then why are you putting sugar on your rice?" the guardian asked. The girl looked down at her hand. She had dumped sugar on her rice. She gasped and quickly drew it back. She used her chopsticks to scrape off excess sugar off of the top of her lunch. A little better of sauce to try and fix the ruined food. She did her best to recover.

"Well, I thought I would try it sweet," she lied. "Besides, you distracted me!"

"I'm only worried about you," the guardian lied.

"I'm fine!" the girl said again.

"No you're not," the guardian said. "I should get you another therapist."

"I feel fine," the girl mumbled.

"I'll call you a therapist this afternoon," the guardian went on without listening to her. The girl glanced at her from behind.

"No!" she snapped as she pushed the woman to the floor. The guardian looked up, trembling. The girl slowly returned to her senses. She bowed her head at the woman.

"Forgive me," she lied. The guardian sat up on the kitchen floor.

"Noriko-chan…" she murmured. The girl shook her head.

"I have to go to school," she said. "Excuse me." She bowed, collected her bento, and walked out of the kitchen. The guardian gritted her teeth as the door closed behind the girl.

_I cannot have her getting back again!_, she thought.

She worked hard to keep the past locked and forever lost to her ward's innocent mind. Years of therapy and pills had done the best to their ability to hide the truth. For the past six years she had been doing well. The nightmares didn't really go away, but they were at least few and far in between. But now, it's starting again. Damned if she was going to let it!

The guardian reached into her jeans phone and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a familiar number once again.

"Hello," she said. "I will be scheduling that appointment for my ward after all!" The call only lasted for three minutes before she hung up. The guardian breathed heavily as the fire burned in her eyes.

She refused to have the wasteland unfold once again. This


	8. Evie

Author's Notes: This Halo's inspiration comes from a segment from the movie _Ju-On: Black Ghost_.

* * *

Halo Seven: Evie:

Evie's in a foul mood this evening. Her finely cared-for hand clutched the phone as she screamed in it.

"I don't care if the police are still investigating it!" she yelled. "I'm selling that damn apartment before the year is over, do you understand me?!" The woman growled as he hung up her phone. The other renovators watched her in silence.

"What's she getting pissed off again for?" one of the men whispered.

"They found a dead body on the ground of the apartment that she's been trying to sell for a month," another one answered.

"Oh," the first guy replied. Evie cut a sharp glare at them.

"What?!" she barked. The other renovators pretended to be doing nothing in nervousness. Evie snorted to herself.

"I'm going home," she grumbled. She got up and walked out of the office. Her co-workers didn't move until they heard the door slam shut. The men turned to each other.

"No wonder Kadota-san can't stand her," one of the renovators said. The other two nodded.

"He tries to stay away from her when he can," the second guy said.

"I'm amazed that her boyfriend can take living with her," the third man commented. His coworkers stared at him with big eyes.

"She has a boyfriend?" the oldest of the trio asked. The youngest man nodded at him.

"Yeah," he said. "He's a blind and mute man." The other two made faces to themselves.

"Lucky," the middle man muttered. The other two nodded.

In the taxi, Evie sat looking out the window the whole time, frowning. Her manager gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Aww, don't worry baby," he cooed as he tried to put his arm around her. "We'll sell this apartment, I swear." She lightly pushed the older man off.

"If this becomes a stigmatized building, I'm going to be fucking pissed off," she complained. "I mind, couldn't that stupid girl just killed herself on another apartment roof? Such a pain!"

"The police haven't confirmed if it was a suicide or not," her manager replied as he tried to lean on her again. "She couldn't just fallen off by accident." His employee groaned as she pushed him away.

"Either way," she summed up. "This is not good for business!" She held up her hand at the driver.

"This is my stop," she said. The cab pulled to a stop and she got out.

"Be careful of the dangers at night!" he boss called from inside as she paid her fare. The American woman gave him a gracious smile.

"I will," she said. Evie stayed in place until the taxi pulled away from sight. She waved her boss off with a fake forced smile.

"The only thing that I should be careful is sleazy perverts like you," she muttered under her breath. Then, she began her walk down the long, dark street to her apartment. Despite knowing how to use a gun and walking this street many times, the atmosphere always creped her out. Evie clenched her teeth and looked around as she walked.

_Come near me and I swear I will shoot you! I have a .38 in my pocket and I'm not scared to use it!_

Suddenly, her cell phone rang. The playful club music made her jump so much that she dropped it to the ground. Evie took in slow breaths after she came to the realization of what the source was.

_That's just your phone, idiot!_, she cursed herself. _Just pick it up and answer it!_ Evie bent down to do as her mind commanded her. But then, she paused and her eyes widened was such panic. A girl about thirteen dressed in all black with a dark veil covering her equally dark face took slow steps towards her prey.


	9. Mirai-Sensei

Author's Notes: My beta reader has brought to my attention about the Japanese phrase, "Akuma ga watashi o shutoku sa sete wa ikenai" not being translated. I have it there for a reason. I will reveal the meaning later on as the story goes on.

* * *

Halo Eight: Mirai-Sensei:

December 12th, 2005.

The therapist looked over her notes in the office. For months, she had tried to get Noriko to open up to her during their sessions every week. In the beginning, getting the girl to talk was like pulling a brochure out of the mouth of a hungry goat. Her guardian came to Mirai-sensei for help after the girl's therapist vanished. Because of that, Noriko refused to speak at her about what was wrong with her.

"Noriko-chan," the twenty-nine-year-old therapist said at the end of August. "I want to help you, but I can't if you won't tell me what's wrong. Now, talk to me." Noriko still refused. Still, Mirai-sensei wouldn't give up.

"Why wouldn't you talk to me?" she asked in December that year. The girl looked up at her with worn eyes.

"Can't…" she mumbled.

"Why not?" Mirai-sensei pressed. The eleven-year-old looked her deep into the eye.

"Do you know what happened to Koda-sensei?" she asked. Her current therapist gave her a puzzled look.

"No?" she asked. "What happened to her?" Noriko's whole demeanor changed. Her sweet brown eyes went blank. Her tone of voice dropped into one of a possessed child.

"She has disappeared," Noriko hissed. Mirai-sensei paused with her pink pen on her notes.

"Disappeared?" she asked. "Why?"

"She heard something that she was not supposed to," the child's voice dipped as she spoke.

"What did she hear? Did it have something to do with your nightmares?" Mirai-sensei asked, intently. Noriko fought to return to stop herself from saying anymore. She tightly shut her eyes.

"Please forgive her!" she pleaded. "She doesn't know what's she's prying into!" Mirai-sensei nearly rose out of her chair by this point.

"What is it, Noriko-chan?" she asked. "Tell me why you are like this! Tell me!" The girl fell back into her trance and parted her lips to the truth.

Noriko went home hours ago, but Mirai-sensei can't shake the child's words from her mind as she looks over page after page of notes from this afternoon's session. This was nothing like the girl that she had tried to talk to since August. Noriko in August was more timid, withdrawn, almost to the point of being soft-spoken. This Noriko seemed so cold, so distant, almost not human to say in the least bit.

The more Mirai-sensei read, more the paranoid pressure began to crack in her mind. The words about her client's nightmares replayed themselves in moving pictures in her head. The woman shut her eyes to make them stop, but the images grew even more vivid, as if she was living in the action herself.

"Fukiishi-sensei!" she heard someone yell back in reality. The woman whirled around with such a yelp. The head therapist of the building stood in the doorway, staring at her. He gave her a long, concerned look.

"You're still here?" he asked. "I thought you've gone home by now." His employee gave him a long blank stare.

"Huh?" she asked. Mirai-sensei looked down at her watch. Six minutes to ten already. The therapist looked around.

"Oh…" she mumbled. She looked down at her notes. Her boss gently put his hand on her shoulder. Mirai jerked her head upwards. The man shook his head at her.

"You're just really tired," he said. "Go home." His employee didn't speak for a long moment. The woman finally nodded.

"Yeah," she said. Mirai-sensei began to pack up her things around her desk.

"No, no," her boss said. "Just leave your notes. I'll get them myself." His employee nodded again.

"Okay," she said. The therapist moved away and walked out the door.

"Have a good night," she heard behind her.

"See you tomorrow!" she called back. The woman made it all the way to her car when her cell phone rang. _Hm?_, she thought. _Who's that?_ Mirai-sensei reached into her purse and drew out her phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Come quickly," a childlike familiar-sounding voice whimpered on the other line. "I'm scared. So cold… So cold… Please come get me. Hurry." The therapist looked oddly at her phone.

"Noriko-chan?" she asked. "Is that you, where are you?"

"Akuma ga watashi o shutoku sa sete wa ikenai!" the voice cried. Then, the other line went dead.

"Noriko?" she asked. "Hello? Hello?" Mirai-sensei lowered her phone. She shook her head to herself. _It's just a stupid prank call_, she thought. _It has to be._ The woman got into her car and headed for her apartment.

However, she ended up driving the opposite direction, away from town. Her mind didn't focus on the actions that she took after she received that phone call. She didn't even remember turning the car in the opposite direction, driving for close two hours in the empty streets, pulling up to the parking lot of the abandoned apartment complex, and walking into the lobby. Mirai-sensei's senses only returned when she heard the elevators doors slide closed behind her down the hall. The poor therapist looked around.

"What the heck…" she mumbled to herself. "This isn't my apartment." An icy prickle crept down her back. She turned to walk back to the elevator. The woman held her sweater to her as she kept walking. The words over the phone and the feeling of someone watching her refused to die down.

_Why would Noriko-chan even be calling me like that?_, she thought. Mirai-sensei never accepted calls from clients after she got off of work. That was just one of her general rules. She even explained that to Noriko and her guardian on the first day that they met. The therapist shook her head to herself.

_It had to be a prank call_, she thought. _It had to be!_ Too bad she couldn't really convince herself of that.

Suddenly, Mirai-sensei froze when she heard a loud crunching-sound. She whipped around just as fast.

"Hello?" she asked. A low death rattle noise drew her attention to the side hallway. Mirai-sensei didn't even get time to scream out as a blackened hand reached out to grab her.


	10. Michiko

Author's Notes: It's October now and I feel that I have to take this to high octane nightmare fuel level. The last chapter was a good start; I just need to keep going with it.

* * *

Halo Nine: Michiko:

Masaomi can't sort out what's been going on in his head lately. Ever since he encountered that child just days ago, he couldn't get the images that he saw out of his head. What exactly did that girl do to him? His hands hadn't stopped shaking on and off.

He happened to be walking home from school one day when he passed the fountain. Low and behold, that same girl as before sat on the edge looking at him. Her hat covered her little face. Instinct told him turn and walk away. But yet, he just had to know somehow…

The child looked up and saw Masaomi just inches away from her. Her face perked up with a little smile.

"Ne!" she cheered. The boy blinked at her.

"I don't know who you are," he said. The girl pouted at him.

"Aw come on, Kida-kun," she whimpered. "Don't be like that. You know who I am. Try to remember. Try." It took him a moment to get what she was saying here. Only one name came to mind here.

"Michiko."

The little girl perked up at him. "That's better," she said. Masaomi gave her a puzzled look. What the hell was with this child?

Moments later, Masaomi sat with Michiko watching the people walking by. His eyes glanced over at her.

"What exactly are you?" he asked rather blunt.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"What do you want with me anyway?"

She leaned back where she sat. "Nothing."

"Then why do you keep following me around?"

"Maybe _you're_ following _me_ around."

Masaomi frowned to himself. "Could you stop that?"

"Kida-kun, what ever do you mean?"

He turned to her, eyes narrowed. "Can't you just talk straight with me for a change? This game is turning into a pain in the ass." Michiko giggled at him like a sweet, little angelic child. The sound made her "friend's" stomach turn. He expected her to pull out a knife when he wasn't looking and stab him many times.

"Why do you look at me like I want to kill you or something?" Michiko asked. Masaomi sneered at her.

"You're just creepy," he said. Michiko looked at him, cheerfully.

"At least you're honest," she said. Masaomi frowned at her. He had the feeling that this was another one of her annoying games. He turned and watched more people walking by. Three ten-year-old girls walked past, talking the latest toys that they wanted. An elderly couple across the street shared sweets as they talked. A high school loli Goth licked her Goth boyfriend on the cheek as they kept walked. A young mother with two small children walked into a grocery store next to the video game shop that old couple sat in front of. Michiko frowned to herself.

"This peace won't last long," she said in an icy tone. Masaomi looked over at her.

"What?" he asked. The girl turned to him. The boy could've sworn that her eyes were glowing a flash of bright red. Michiko's voice kept a low rhythm in her speech.

"They are coming," she said. "They are coming for blood." Masaomi blinked at her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. Michiko body went stiff after she opened her mouth. She let out a loud death rattle sound and collapsed backwards. Her hat flew off on the ground as she hit the water. Masaomi stood up just as fast when Izumi called him saying that he had Saki and broken legs.

"Somebody help!" he shouted as he tried to get Michiko back into consciousness again. "Help me!"


	11. Invisible

Author's Note: I liked how this chapter turned out. I got the idea from the book, _Women Without Men_, in which one of the characters, Munis, dies and then comes back to life and wanders around the city for a month. Kind of adds to the theme that I am going for in this part of the project.

* * *

Halo Ten: Invisible:

*Chiharu*

It's been a month since that incident with me happened. Nobody sees me now. I can just come and go as I please. I can walk in a crowd of people and no one would notice me at all. But, I am not a ghost. No, I'm pretty much alive in fact. Yes, I was dead, but now I'm not again. This will be confusing, so please keep up with me as I tell you my story.

Last month, I was listening to the radio in my room when my controlling older brother, Tatsuya, barged into my room and tried to make me go to another stupid dinner with a suitor he picked out for me. We argued after I told him I wasn't going. In the end, I stormed out of the apartment and went out for a walk. I went to the top of the abandoned apartment building, facing the city to clear my head.

That's when I heard it. A woman's voice that tried to sounded younger filled my head.

"Akuma ga watashi o shutoku sa sete wa ikenai."

I don't exactly remember how it happened, but one minute, I found myself falling from high up. Then, I ended up on the ground with my eyes wide open.

This is where it becomes strange.

I opened my eyes and looked down to see my own body lying on the ground below me. I held my hands out before me and blinked.

_I can see through my hands_, I thought. I looked below my feet again. No, this isn't a dream. I was up above and down there at the same time. My eyes below looked so dull and lifeless as they stared at the sky. Myself above gulped.

_This is weird…_, I thought. _Am I dead? Is anyone going to find my body? _I looked down at my body on the ground again. I tried to reach down to touch my cheek, but something kept blocking me from doing so. My stomach turned as I waited for someone to find my body. I didn't even leave where I was floating to be certain.

By seven in the morning, the renovators came by to work on the apartment. The janitor found my body when he saw my feet around the corner. Earlier in the morning, I tried to scream out to people passing by to find my body, but they couldn't hear me. I gave up just minutes before I was found. I watched as the people crowded around my body and call the police. The police pronounced me dead on the scene. Shock raced through my body above.

_I'm dead?_, I thought. I quickly shook my head. _I can't be!_ I tried to flag them down from ahead to catch anyone's attention.

"Hey!" I shouted. "I'm up here! I'm not dead! Hey! Hey!" They couldn't hear me like the people that by me. The medics stuffed my body into a bag and put it in a truck. I followed the medics as they drove away. This was bad, really bad.

I trailed my body all the way to the police department. I watched as the medics unloaded my body and took it to the autopsy room. I found it hard to swallow the whole time. My soul, I guess that's what I could call it now, floated over to my body at the doctor prepared to perform the autopsy.

_Come on!_, I thought. _I've had enough of this. I have to wake up! I have to get back to my life!_ Below, the doctor hit record on her recorder.

"The date is now September 22nd, 2011," she said. "We have an unidentified female about seventeen years old in high school. Her body was found on the grounds of an apartment complex. Body looks intact without a single scratch on it. No defense wounds on her hands, suggesting she didn't fight back. At first glance, she just looks like she's just lying there in a daze." The doctor turned back to my body as she picked up her scalpel.

"Okay," she said. "I will begin." But then, her cell phone rang. I breathed in relief as her turned to answer. My eyes turned back to my body. Maybe if I could… just…

And just like that, I woke back up in my body on the table. I looked around me in the darkness. The doctor was still on the phone and my clothes were still bagged up. I had to move quickly in order to get out of here. I quietly got off of the table, get dressed, and walked out the door.

Ever since then, I have been walking around Ikebukoro like a ghost for a month. I have seen and heard so much around me. I can just come and go as I please. I could even go home if I wanted, but I just don't want to. Not yet anyway. I don't have a real reason not to. Just don't want to yet.

I see the Black Rider from time to time. I wanted to talk to her, but something inside decided against it. Instead, I just watched her ride the city, drawing attention to herself. Yes, I had gotten used to my newfound solitude. However, in my heart that it wouldn't last long. Much like the characters in Shakespeare's _As You Like it_, I too must return to society. The question is when.

I paused and happened to look across the street at Russia Sushi. I saw Ryugamine-kun, Kida-kun, and Sonohara-chan eating at the front desk. I always see them together at school. I've seen this before actually. Two guys getting all chummy with each other and the girl hoping to win over the latter's affections. I kind of want to see what happens next. But, I just don't seem to have the time anymore.

But then, I paused.

It looks like… wait! No way. Ryugamine-kun is looking right at me. Wait, can he see me? I really don't know what to do he if can. He turns to his friends and is pointing my direction. I quickly turn and walk away. I think my solitude just ended now.


	12. Dylan

Author's Note: Figured that we try and cut to the chase of the story a bit in honor of Halloween coming. So, here we go.

* * *

Halo Eleven: Dylan:

Kadota and his gang sat outside, watching the apartment complex.

"So, she finally managed to sell the place?" Erika asked.

"Yeah," Kyohei replied.

"Who's looking to buy the apartment?" Walker asked.

"Some American couple," Kyohei replied. "They moved here three days ago."

"Has she been able to deal with all that weird shit that's been going on with that apartment?" Saburo asked. His friend nodded.

"You can say that," he replied. Kyohei didn't really care beyond this point. Just as long as he didn't have to see or hear Evie again for a long time.

Inside, Evie gave the Dylans a tour of the apartment.

"Good afternoon," she greeted them. "Welcome!" The husband looked at her with a stoic look on his face. Evie clapped her hands together.

"Right," she said. "Shall we get going?" The couple followed her into the living room. She turned to them in the sunlight.

"As you can see here," the realtor began. "Well-lit to reflect on your wife's lovely complexion." The other woman smiled. Her husband wanted more than that. Evie stood up straight.

"This apartment's been renovated to keep with the modern fit to the rest of the apartments in this neighborhood," she added.

"Is it stable enough?" the husband asked. Evie gave him a sharp nod.

"Yes sir!" she said. His wife turned to her husband. They whispered between each other for a moment. Mr. Dylan turned back to the realtor. Evie read the look on his face.

"Shall we go on?" she asked. The woman didn't wait for an answer as she walked down the hall. They came into an empty room that faced the city. She looked around at the freshly-painted white walls.

"This is a nice room for your guests or children," the realtor went on. The wife ran her fingertips around the metal doorknob. Her husband knocked on the door with his right knuckles. Evie passed the window to walk over to the other side of the room. However when she passed the glass, she could've sworn there was a black shadow passing along with her moments. Evie passed and backed up for a better look. This time, she only saw her reflection. The realtor blinked at the window.

_What the hell?_, she thought. Evie kept staring at the window in front of her as she tried to figure out if what she saw was an illusion or something else.

"Something wrong?" the man asked her. The realtor stood up straight at his words.

"No," she lied. "Just thought I saw something outside." The realtor walked to the doorway.

"Shall we continue?" she asked. Then, Evie walked into the hallway. The couple followed behind with uneasiness about how she said that.

Overall, the tour turned out to be a success and the couple ended up buying the apartment. Evie came home that evening, whistling. Judging by the tone, her boyfriend guessed that something good must have happened to her.

"I'm home!" Evie called out in a sing-songy voice.

Thud!

Evie took off her shoes and walked into the living room where he sat. She leaned in close to his face.

"Guess what happened today?" she asked.

Thud!

Evie broke into a huge smile. "You know that apartment just outside the city? You know the one. The one with all the weird crap that's been going on for weeks. You know what I'm talking about, right?" she asked. "I finally sold it! Isn't that great?" She noticed his body going stiff. He grabbed onto her with a death grip. Her face dropped as she tried to fight him off.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Oi? Oi?" He broke down into what appeared to be a seizure. Panicked, Evie tried to break away again.

"Hey!" she shouted. "You're hurting me! Let go! Let go!" His seizure grew worse as his the same thing happened to his shaking. Drool and foam began forming from his mouth. Evie's eyes wide in panic as he grip loosened from her wrist. She rose to her feet and raced over to her phone. She made the quick number for help.

"My boyfriend is having seizure or something!" the realtor yelled. "Please help!" Rescue came within twenty minutes and took him away on a stretcher. Evie watched after them before following behind. The boyfriend laid there with his seizure. That dent that his "girlfriend" made just got worse for that dent had grown into a crack.


	13. Mikado

Author's Note: Mikado finally encounters Chiharu and has many questions for her. I realized that next Wednesday is Halloween and "Waking Up in Wonderland" falls on Wednesday. So next week, I will attempt to make the chapter high octane nightmare fuel. Wish me luck.

* * *

Halo Twelve: Mikado:

He had to know the truth. What did he see outside of Russia Sushi that night? Chiharu died last month. There was no way she could be up and walking around Ikebukuro just like that. That wasn't her, was it? What was that he saw three nights ago?

That night started out normally; just him, Anri, and Masaomi out for dinner at Russia Sushi. Anri sat quiet as Masaomi bragged about how he got another high school girl's number the other day. Mikado had tuned him out as usual and looked out the window. To his surprise, there she stood. Chiharu watched him and his friends from across the street. She didn't say a word; she didn't attempt to move. Confused, he turned to his friends.

"Guys," he said as he pointed across the street. "Isn't that Hashimoto-chan over there?" His friends stopped talking and stared at him.

"Huh?" Masaomi asked as he looked out the window with his friend. He blinked in his confusion.

"What are you talking about, man?" he asked. "I don't see her out there."

"Huh?" Mikado asked as he turned back to the window. She was gone again. He blinked rather confused.

"She was there a few moments ago…" he said. Masaomi frowned at him.

"You feeling okay, dude?" he asked.

"But… she was just there!" Mikado said. "I just saw her."

"Chiharu's dead," his best friend reminded him. "She fell off that apartment last month." Mikado lowered his head.

"I guess you're right," he mumbled. He looked out the window again. He could've sworn that she was out there. Ever since then, he couldn't figure it all out. Who was that girl he saw days ago? If that was Chiharu, was she doing wandering the streets of Ikebukuro?

These questions haunted him until tonight. He happened to be passing by Russia Sushi when something stopped him in his tracks. Chiharu sat alone at the bar, waiting for food. Mikado blinked at first.

_Is that…_, he thought. _That can't be…_ The boy walked closer to the window. There she was. Chiharu looked up at the ceiling as she waited. Mikado covered his mouth.

_It is her!_, the boy thought. But… what is she doing here? He blinked for a moment. _Wait_, he thought. _Is she a ghost or something?_ But why could he see her? Mikado took a step back.

_Is she haunting me?_, he thought. _But why? I haven't done anything to her when she was still alive!_ Suddenly, he noticed her looking right dead-on at him. Mikado just froze in a panic.

_Oh crap! She saw me!_, he thought. Now, what could he do? The boy drew in a sharp breath. Guess he had no choice now. The boy gathered him up and walked inside.

Chiharu didn't have to wait long to talk. She looked up and gave Mikado a little wave.

"Yo," she said. He paused with silence.

"Hi…" he mumbled to her. Chiharu gave him a little smile.

"There, there," she said. "I know what you are thinking." She took a step closer to him. The girl shook her head as Mikado took a step back.

"No, I am not a ghost," she said. "Here, let me prove it to you." Mikado trembled as Chiharu slowly took his hand and brushed his fingertips to her right cheek. Shock raced through the boy's body.

"You feel… warm!" he said in a gasp. Chiharu smiled at him.

"Now do you believe me?" she asked. He couldn't really speak at first; instead he nodded at her. But, how could he be sure that Hashimoto Chiharu and not some type of hallucination that he was having right now?

Moments later, they sat at the bar together. Mikado looked over at the living girl to his right. He just couldn't hold back anymore.

"Hashimoto-chan," he spoke up. She didn't look up at him as she spun her finger around in circles on the surface.

"Uh-hm?" she asked.

"Where did you go?"

Her finger paused in place. "I've been around the city."

Mikado gave her a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"I was there. You just didn't really notice me. I was invisible."

Mikado stared at her. "I'm not following."

Chiharu still looked at the bar. "I died, I came back, and I just turned invisible until you saw me days ago."

Mikado still stared at her. "Okay…" He looked at her again. "What happened to you?"

Chiharu sat back in her chair. "Hard to say, really."

"What?"

"I got into a fight with my brother, I went out, went to the top of that apartment building outside the city, I heard a voice, and the next I knew, I found myself falling to the ground from many feet."

"And you don't know how you got that way?"

Chiharu shook her head. Mikado looked down at his hands.

"Oh," he said. She nodded again. The boy looked straight at her.

"What exactly did you hear before you died?" he asked. Chiharu froze at that question. She looked far away from him.

"This peace will not last long in this city," she murmured to herself. "There are some rabbit holes that humans are not meant to go down in." Mikado still didn't get it.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "What did you hear that night?" Chiharu tightly shut her eyes.

"Please forgive him," she whispered. "He doesn't know what's he's prying into."

"What did you hear?" Mikado asked. She swallowed a bit and leaned into his ear. She whispered the coldest truth that she heard that night on her death.

"Don't let the devil get me."


	14. Hospital

Author's Notes: Happy Halloween everyone! Here is a borderline creepy chapter for everyone to read. I got put of the idea from the movie, "Thirst." This chapter is more of a frigid horror in a sense.

* * *

Halo Thirteen: Hospital:

He could hear everything. He heard everything from the moment they put him in the ambulance up to this point. Now, he laid in a hospital bed with Evie standing outside his open door talking to one of the doctors.

"Will he be alright?" she asked the doctor.

"Yes ma'am," he replied. "He's recovered, but we'll have to keep him here for a forty-eight hour observation."

"Forty-eight hours?" Evie asked. He felt his stomach at those words. Something told him that that sentence would not end will.

"That's right, ma'am," the doctor said. "You are welcome to stay with him if you need to." He pleaded in his mind for her not to go. For he knows, the maze will come back and he will be forced to wander in his own darkness yet again. He wishes that he could voice his desperation to her.

"Alright," Evie said. "I'll come by in the morning." He dreaded hearing those words. He was going to be alone again. He tried to force himself to stay positive as he heard the footsteps walking over to his bed.

"You okay?" Evie asked.

Knock.

"That's good to know," she replied. She kissed him on the cheek. Her fingertips lightly pushed hair out of his blind eyes.

"I'll call my boss this evening and explain the situation for tomorrow morning," Evie went on. She turned and looked at her boyfriend.

"Are you feeling hungry?" Evie asked.

Knock. Knock.

"Want anything to drink?"

Knock.

Evie patted her knees. "Okay then. I'll go get you some water." He listened as her kitty heels disappeared down the hall. She's going to go home tonight. He wishes that he could tell her. Yet, he is forced into silence with the flood trying bust down the heavy scratched gates.

She gave him his water and a kiss on the forehead before she left.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Evie whispered. He longed to scream out to her to get her to stay. All he could do was lay there in his bed and listen as she and her kitten heels walked away. His stomach sank as he heard all of the lights go off in the hospital moments later. He knew what was coming next. He swallowed as the maze opened its gaping mouth to swallow him whole for another. But, he wasn't to be alone this time. He became aware of that when rubber heels walked into his room. His body went tense as they got closer and stopped at his bed.

A soft sinister chuckle filled his ears.

"My, my," a husky woman's voice with a Scottish accent buzzed around him. "Didn't expect to ever you again." There was a pause and chuckle.

"Not surprising, though. You _and_ they are rather hard to kill." Her hot breath filled his left ear.

"Do you know who I am? Of course you don't. You can't remember a single thing. Heh. You can't even remember your own name."

Another chuckle filled the cold, sharp air. "This should be rather interesting. You can't really do anything to defend yourself. You can't see anything. You can't speak. You are just a helpless little baby."

Her fingertips gently brushed against his cheek. "The question is what can I do with you right now?"

Her fingertips brushed down to his throat. "Not to worry. You are in my hands for two days. That means I can do anything I want with you. And you want to know what the best part about that is? You can't do anything to stop me and I am on the late shift. So, nobody can come and save you. You are all mine to abuse in any way." Her laughter drew in more heavy pressure to his chest as he began breathing harder and faster.

Though he could not see it, but a syringe slowly dropped down to his mouth. The point almost touched the back of his throat just before it was pulled away. She played this game with him until she got bored in two in the morning.

She's not the only one with games to play with him.


	15. Shimamoto-Sensei

Author's Notes: No new chapter next week before I will be on vacation until the Sunday after next. So, just use this time to recap everything up to this point until I come back with new chapters before the first week of December.

* * *

Halo Fourteen: Shimamoto-Sensei:

He couldn't understand it. Ten years and he still had no answers to why two of his top therapists just vanished. Koda-sensei's car was found under the overpass. There was nothing stolen and it looked like it hadn't been touched for hours before a homeless person found it. He last saw Mirai-sensei as he saw her leave the building. Her car was found the next morning in the parking lot of the apartment building that was facing the city as one would be leaving.

The police couldn't come up with anything and the cases were still on file. Ten years and Shimamoto-sensei still had nothing. So tonight, he decided to make his own connects. Both women were close to their thirties and lived alone. Yet, that line of thinking wouldn't get him anywhere. He had to look at both cases from another angle. Maybe through their case files. That could work out.

Both therapists had the now seventeen-year-old Ishikawa Noriko. Before her, the women didn't have any problems. What was so different about Noriko-chan? Shimamoto-sensei took out both of their notes that he held onto after the cases. Both sets of notes sat scattered across his desk. At first, they both looked rather normal.

_How could a child make two skilled therapists vanish into thin air?_, he thought. _What did she tell them?_

Within four pages, the tone of the notes took a darker tone. His eyes darted around to different words in the notes.

Help me! They keep trampling on me in the crowd. I always see her face standing over me. I don't want to die. They keep watching me in my dreams. I don't know how to stop it. Help me! I am not an animal. I keep seeing the tower. Don't let the devil get me. Tower. Tower. Help me! Tower. Tower. Tower. Help me! I don't want to die. Help me! Don't let the devil get me. Don't let the devil get me. I can hear the tower calling out to me.

Shimamoto-sensei sat rolled back in his chair, panting in shock. _What is… all of this?_, he thought. There were more notes from Noriko's therapy sessions, but those were far beyond cohort. The words almost seemed to be speaking in tongues. What was this child? What was all of this?

Shimamoto-sensei happened to look up in the hallway and saw a pale little girl about six-years-old walking by. Her long black pigtails swayed back and forth as she moved. Her little red and white school uniform looked neatly ironed if not slightly dusty on the skirt. The footsteps of her little red shoes were what drew the head therapist's attention in the first place. He rose to his feet and peeked out the doorway. His eyes followed her little white stuffed rabbit as she dragged it behind her.

"Excuse me!" Shimamoto-sensei yelled after her. The head therapist rose up from his chair and tried to chase down this little girl. He followed her all the way to the back end of the building. Shimamoto-sensei looked around. The man cursed himself in frustration.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself. "Now where did that child go?" He was about to head back inside when a loud crunch noise caught his attention.

"Hm? What was that?" he asked. The man's eyes shot wide open as soon as that question left his lips. A girl about fifteen with a blackened ghost-like appearance stood before him. He didn't even get a chance to scream out. The ghostly girl opened her mouth to let out a death rattle noise as she reached out to grab his neck.

It all went silent for the rest of the night.


	16. Hisayo

Author's Notes: Yes, we are back now. This time, let's go back in time for this chapter, shall we? Give us a little bit of a clue of what's going to be unfolding in later seasons. This one will come to an end in the first week of December.

* * *

Halo Fifteen: Hisayo:

June 24th, 1987.

School had ended hours ago. Darkness had already set over Ikebukuro. The fifteen-year-old set out for home this late at night. She never attained any after school programs or had many friends outside of school. Most of the students and even some of the teachers avoided her because they found her a bit scary with her long black hair always over her face. Her eyes stayed on the ground as she kept walking. Her younger sister walked home from school without her earlier today. Her father had to work late with the campaign yet again. It's starting to go back to the way it was at home before her sister was born. Both girls wished that things would go back to peace as her mother had described it during her and her husband's college years together.

Bright headlines on her back made her pause and turn. An '84 deep navy Honda pulled to a stop beside her. Her heart leapt as she recognized the car. The window of the driver's side rolled down.

"Abe-sensei?" she asked.

"Isobe-chan?" he asked. "What are you doing out here this late at night?" The young girl swallowed a bit as her eyes shifted a bit.

"I'm just going home, sir," she mumbled.

"All alone at this time of night?" her teacher asked.

"Yes," she said with a nod. Her teacher shook his head at her.

"Hop in," he said. "I'll take you home." Hisayo looked at him with big eyes as she shook her head.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked. "My mother would…"

"But I just can't leave you out here alone, can I?" he asked. She drew her mouth closed. Her eyes trailed down to her feet.

"Are you sure it's okay?" she asked. "I don't want to give my mother another reason to get angry at you again."

"It'll be okay," Abe-sensei insisted. "Just get in." Hisayo bit on her lower lip. Her mother already caused problems for her teacher and the school. She didn't want to give her an excuse to cause more hell again. But, his care looked so cool right about now. He probably had the A/C running too.

She finally dropped her shoulders.

"Alright," she said. Abe-sensei gave her a kind smile.

"I just want you safe," he said. Hisayo nodded as she came around to the passenger side. Her teacher unlocked the door and let her in.

"You live in that apartment building just outside of the city, right?" he asked. She nodded at him.

"Yes," she said with a nod. She kept her eyes out the window the whole time.

"Thank you," she mumbled to herself. Abe-sensei glanced out of the corner of his eye at her.

"I'm sorry?" he asked. Hisayo shook her head. Her teacher put the car in drive and drove off.

She felt her heart racing the whole time. So many times, she had encountered this particular teacher, but only in passing. She never had the chance to talk to him outside of class. The girl wanted so desperately do so at least once. The fact that he was giving her a ride in his car like this told her that he acknowledged her. In truth, Hisayo felt little butterflies in her stomach as her cheeks felt rosy and pink.

"So how are you doing in your classes?" Abe-sensei asked. She glanced at him through the window.

"Good," she said. "They're good."

"How are things at home?"

"Fine."

"How is your mother?"

Hisayo frowned to herself. "Fine." Just hearing her tone in the way she answered him made him stop his questing altogether.

"I don't ever want to see you or any other students wandering around the city this late on a school night," he said. "Girls your age could be abducted and raped. Or even worse for that matter. So, I don't want you going home this later ever again, okay?" His nurturing tone and voice for concern made her turn her head to look at him. Somebody actually cared about her well-being for a change? Not only that, but her crush no less. She eagerly nodded her head.

"Yes," she said. "I'll be more careful next time, I promise!" She paused when she noticed the look on Abe-sensei's face. His cheeks burned over a bright fiery crimson. Hisayo blinked at him.

''Abe-sensei?" she asked. "What's the matter? Why do you look so red?" He didn't answer her in words. She followed his eyes down to his knee. Her right hand was neatly placed upon his knee. She hadn't noticed it until now. She must have unconsciously placed her hand on his knee in her excitement when she was talking to him. The girl quietly drew it back and turned back to the window.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. Abe-sensei cleared his throat.

"It's okay," he mumbled himself. Neither spoke on the rest of the way there.

"Thank you again," she said after she got out of the car at her apartment just outside of the city.

"Don't go home later ever again, okay?" Abe-sensei said.

"Okay," she replied. "Excuse me."

"Have a good night," her teacher told her.

"You too!" Hisayo called back. She bowed and raced back to her apartment. Above from the front windows however, a woman watched the whole with a beating rage in her eyes before she drew the curtains closed once more.


	17. Rumors

Author's Notes: This one's rather short. Shorter than I what I wanted it to be. But hey, I just needed something to come before the last chapter. This is my first time with writing the chats in the story. Feel free to point out any errors about them; just don't hurt me! *Cowers nervously*

* * *

Halo Sixteen: Rumors:

It's been going around since the late 80's.

Chat room Log:

Kanra: There's been rumors a black ghost killing her victims that live in that one apartment complex.

Setton: You mean the one that's just outside of the city? That place had just been bought.

Tanaka Taro: So who bought it?

Kanra: Some American couple. Wonder how long they're going last?

That apartment, the Kinko Sekai Apartment complex, has had a bad reputation since 1987. The maintenance and tenants are just fine. It's just one certain apartment that's the problem.

Setton: Everyone's that's lived in apartment 27 has either died or disappeared.

Kanra: Creepy!

Even the neighbors don't talk to whoever lives in apartment 27 in Kinko Sekai Apartments. They all know the story too well. When they saw Mr. Dylan and his wife, they hung their heads in sympathy for them. Evie did her best to ignore them as she and her team worked to renovate the apartment for sale.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea to work here," one of the guys told her. Naturally, Evie brushed it off without a single thought.

"Bullshit," she said. "It's just a dumb little ghost story." Even she couldn't convince herself of that. Her mind couldn't shake seeing that girl in all black she eight nights ago.

Kanra: Once you see the ghost girl in black, you disappear!

Tanaka Taro: No way! But why?

Kanra: It's part of the curse!

Setton: Curse?

Kanra: Yes!

Tanaka Taro: What curse?

Kanra: They say whoever crosses the girl in black dies a horrible death!

Setton: Kanra!

Kanra: But it's true! What do you think happened to those two therapists at the child psychology center?

But what exactly happened in 1987? There are many documents locked away on that winter. Fans of conspiracy theories believe that the government is involved. But, is it really that easy? What could they possibly stand to gain by covering up something that bad? Just how bad is it really, anyway? There are a small amount that has a vague clue about the answer, yet details vary. The results are never pretty. Speaking of which, the curse seems to have already claimed another victim. It's only a matter of time…


	18. Widow

Author's Note: Alas, we reach the end of "Waking Up in Wonderland" for the season. I'll be back with more next August. But for now, I plan to do some edits with this volume to make it better.

* * *

Halo Seventeen: Widow:

Three high school girls found the body just hours before. They had just gotten back late from a party around two in the morning. Their giggling and loud talking grinded to a halt when one of the girls froze in her tracks. Her friends paused and turned to her.

"What's the matter, Kyoko?" one of them asked. The girl trembled as she pointed forward. Her friends looked up and their faces drained of color. Blood dripped down them from the nailed down body against the a wooden cross. Their screams filled the night.

By seven in the morning, the crime scene was set up. The victim was another therapist. Late thirties to early forties tops with his wrists impaled to the wooden plank. The dried blood under his eyes looked as if he had been crying blood while he was martyred there. No clues or DNA at the crime scene. All of the blood belonged to the victim and the vomit nearby belong to one of the girls that found him.

Kadota and his van gang sat inside a manga café looking out the window at the crime as the police removed the body.

"Looks like they snapped his neck at that angle before they hung him," he said as he rubbed his own.

"Think it's the curse?" Erika asked. Saburo snorted.

"Don't start that crap again," he mumbled.

"You still mad about whoever scratched your van?" Erika asked. The man gritted his teeth. Kyohei was about to say something when his phone rang. He just hung it up and shoved it into his pocket.

"Dotachin, who was that?" Erika asked. Kadota tried not to snap at the yaoi fangirl when she called him that.

"It's Evie again," he said. The other three looked puzzled.

"Evie?" Saburo asked. "Why does she keep calling you, man?" Kyohei shrugged.

"She keeps asking me about her boss," he said. "Apparently he didn't show up for work today."

"What happened to him?" Walker asked.

"Shit if I know," Kadota replied as he switched his phone to silent.

Outside, Noriko and Chiharu walked to school. They too had heard about the murder on the news. So far, neither one said anything about it. Noriko had her lips pressed together.

"That man was the head of place where I went for therapy," she said. Chiharu paused and turned to her friend.

"Are you having dreams again?" she asked. Her friend nodded.

"How bad?" Chiharu asked. Noriko kept her eyes to her feet. Her friend grabbed her by the shoulders.

"How bad is it?" she asked again. Her friend grabbed onto her own arm.

"Pretty bad," she mumbled. Chiharu sighed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "Why?" Noriko clenched her fists at her sides.

"You were dead," she said.

"Well, I'm not now!" Chiharu snapped. Noriko trembled in her hands.

"Please stop, Chiharu-chan," she whispered. "You're scare me when you get like that." The other girl let go of her and took a breath.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she said. "So what are you going to do now?" Noriko lowered her head as she shook it in her own unraveling uncertainty.

By afternoon, Masaomi went by the hospital to visit Saki again. However, he ran into another little "friend" on the way inside. The gang leader found Michiko sitting in front of the hospital. Her face perked up when she saw him.

"Hey!" she chirped. The boy tried to remain calm in front of her.

"You're looking well," he said.

"Ne!" Michiko cheered. Masaomi tried to keep calm. _We're back that again?_, he thought. The young girl leaned in, smiling.

"So," she said. "What's been going on?" The boy gave her an odd look.

"Why?" he asked.

"I want to know," she said. "Please?" Masaomi dropped his shoulders.

"Fine," he said. "The apartment outside of the city has been sold." Michiko paused at that statement.

"What did you say?" she asked in a low voice.

"Some real estate agent sold that apartment outside of the city," Masaomi repeated. The young girl broke down into trembling as she grabbed onto her knees.

"Take me there," she said in a small voice. The boy looked at her for a moment.

"What?" he asked. Michiko leapt forward and grabbed onto his jacket.

"Take me to the apartment now!" she yelled. Masaomi put up his hands.

"Okay, okay," he said. In an hour, they made it down to Kinko Sekai Apartments. Michiko looked up at the windows. Her older "friend" still didn't get what she was looking for.

"Why are we here?" he asked.

"Shhh!" Michiko hissed as she kept looking up at the balconies on the side facing the city. She took slow steps to that one apartment that she had encountered one too many times before. The girl finally stopped at the exact one she was looking for. A pale look washed over her face. Masaomi tried to look with her.

"What is it, Michiko-chan?" he asked. She only pointed upwards in her panicked silence. The boy looked to see a woman about thirty with curly dark hair looking down at them. Her facial expression looked so dead as she looked down at the children below. The woman didn't even say a word as she turned and walked back into her apartment. Michiko's heart sank in worry as she knew what would be unfolding next.


End file.
